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Secret TG Group Shakes Up Church

By Christopher Morgan
The Sunday Times - London

Contributed by Andee and Elizabeth Parker
London
May 31, 1998

THE Church of England is facing fresh controversy over the revelation that two women priests began their ministries as men and that the number of transsexual and transvestite clergy is growing.

Two other priests are having sex change treatment, church sources have admitted. One has been forced by his bishop to take indefinite leave, but intends to seek a fresh appointment after his operation, as a woman priest.

Many of them meet regularly with a number of lay Anglicans as part of a secret group called Sibyls - from the Greek word for prophetess. They hold private church services wearing female clothes.

The disclosures come as George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury, tries to hold the church together in the face of damaging internal divisions over homosexuality and the ordination of women.

The issue of transsexuality may surface during the Lambeth conference in July, when Anglican bishops from across the world discuss church doctrine. The conference's steering committee will receive a confidential paper on transsexual clergy. It is believed to highlight the number of clerics who have changed gender or wish to, and calls for an open church discussion.

At least 21 clergy in the Church of England consider themselves to be "transgendered", The Sunday Times has learnt. Fourteen are transvestites. Three are considering a sex change and are said by friends to be in a psychological "grey area".

The church's decision to allow the ordination of women priests in 1992 is thought to have encouraged some priests to reveal their inclinations.

Speaking for the first time, a vicar in a large Church of England parish has described conducting acts of worship for Sibyls. He also told of his desire to dress and behave as a woman while serving a large parish. "I have taken services wearing women's clothes," he said. "The women at Sibyls said I looked absolutely gorgeous, which was lovely. Sibyls is an accepting group of Christians creating a completely relaxed context for worship. They give me affection and support. We may see trans-gender churches in the future."

He has undergone 200 hours of electrolysis on his face and neck over five years. "I do selected exercises to re-do my waistline," he said. "I go away for several weeks of the year, taking the role of a woman. My rule is that I don't dress within 60 miles of the parish. I have got good bone structure and I have been chatted up, which I found quite amusing."

The priest has been married for 25 years and has children. But he has consulted two psychiatrists, who confirmed that he had all the traits of a transsexual. He believes his bishop would try to remove him from the parish if he knew. "I would be difficult to sack, but there would be moral pressure on me to resign. I would have a nervous breakdown or commit suicide."

Though his wife knows about his secret desires, his children do not. "At transvestite clubs I talk to some of the people. The secrecy is the thing that hurts most. I have to sneak out and worry about being caught and stopped by the police.

"There is, however, a real joy of being yourself for a while. I try to grab time when people are out to care for my wardrobe. At other times I cry myself to sleep. Not being the one you want to be and appear to be, you are never at ease with yourself." He said that a senior diocesan official knew about his feelings.

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